Cube mk2 and WIR

[New Girl]

My chooks are 1 now, roughly what age do they

 

A) Stop laying

 

B) Die

 

Planning on adding another couple of hens (to keep egg production) but not sure when would be the right time to add them.

[Scramble]

Have you tried the Chicken Faq on here? http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_services/products_services.php?view=Chickens&about=faq

That link is for pepperpots.

 

http://www.omlet.us/products_services/products_services.php?view=Chickens&about=faq

That link is for Gingernut rangers

 

For each just look under: How many eggs will my chicken lay?

 

From the looks of your signature you have a gingernut ranger and a pepperpot, am I right?

 

For:

 

Pepperpot

a)They lay most of their eggs in their first year, as the years go on their egg production decreases yet the size increases, 300 in first year though probably 280-270 the year after.

 

b)Well, it says that they live for 4-5 years, but depending on the breed it can be longer.

 

For Gingernut Ranger it is the same as Pepperpot

 

Hope that helps

[theherd123]

Hi there NewGirl,

 

You seem to have asked the $64,000 dollar questions there!

 

Both really do depend on many things such as breed, treatment from hatching, exposure to diseases etc etc

 

Taking a very rough average most chooks lay one egg a day for at least the first year and this then decreases as they get older. Perhaps dropping to 2/3 a week by the time they are age 3ish.

 

Unfortunately chookies can die at any age if they come down will illnesses but a 'normal & average' healthy chook can live until they are 4/5ish but some can live to a ripe old age too.

 

If you are getting 2 eggs a day from your current chookies and this is enough for you then i wouldnt bother to get more chooks right now - perhaps spring time next year may be better if you are thinking about the eggs you may need.

 

Hope this helps

[Egluntyne]

They generally stop laying around 3 years, although this varies and it tapers off gradually.

 

I've got some 4 year olds who are still laying once or twice a week.

 

They can live for 5-8 years although it isn't unheard of for them to get into double figures.

 

Edited twice for embarrassing typos. Where are my specs?

Edited July 24, 2008 by Guest

[Louise]

My pure breeds are a couple of months off 4 years old and I still get about 10 eggs a week from the two of them

 

I have 32 at home at the moment

[Poplars]

I have a 3 (ish) year old pepperpot, who still lays one everyday

[Mrs Frugal]

Jenny's a Pepperpot and is 4 and a half years old and still lays a perfect egg for us most days. She's a star (despite being a proper little madam !)

[New Girl]

Thank you all for your replies, I think I'll hold off (if I can!!) buying any more for the time being then, maybe add to my flock next summer or the following year.

 

I don't want to end up in the situation of an elderly flock and no eggs, If I win the lottery I would buy a cube and have it full in seconds. I've only had my "second hand" girls a month and love them so much they are such caracters, I want more, but have to be sensible and practical.